Hidetoshi Morimoto, owner and brewmaster at Morimoto Brewery in Kikugawa City, is at it again! That is, he just will not “follow the lines” and call his brews as others, more traditionally-minded, would…
This sake, which should have been simply called a “Yamahai” finds itself slated as “Chouki Ikusei Shubo Shikomi Junmai, meaning a “junmai which has nurtured for a long time in my sake factory”!
Well, I don’t mind Hidetoshi’s idyosincracies as long as he creates these marvels!

Clarity: very clear
Colour: transparent
Aroma: Fruity, complex, sweetish. Banana, vanilla with memories nuts and coffee beans.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Dry attack backed with some alcohol. Warms up the back of the palate.
Dry pineapple.
Disappears fairly quickly with memories of nuts, macadamia nuts and custard.
Stays very dry with food with more pineapple.
Surprising “gap” between aroma and taste.

Overall: A typical sake from Morimoto Brewery!
Hidetoshi Morimoto cares little about “pleasing people”… His sake, in spite of making use of Shizuoka yeast are “off the norm” in this Prefecture.
A sake for all seasons and all meals, although eminently enjoyable on its own.
Definitely on the “macho side”, uncompromising!

Whereas most brewers in Shizuoka Prefecture concoct soft, almost feminine, sake, Hidetoshi Morimoto, Masterbrewer/owner of Morimoto Brewery in Kikugawa City has often taken the notorious role of a maverick to the delight of lovers of characterful brews bordering on the impertinent.

The latest of his creations is definitely out of the ordinary in this Prefecture famed for making some of the best (popular?) sake in Japan, especially when ones notices that Hidetoshi Morimoto doesn’t bother much about giving all kinds of information usually found in this Prefecture.

Morimoto Brewery, Sayogoromo, Tokubetsu Junmai.

Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15 degrees

Clarity: Very clear and clean.

Colour: Faint golden hue.

Aroma: Fruity and complex: bananas, pineapple, alcohol, almonds.

Body: Smooth and solid.

Taste: Strong junmai attack. Great combination of fruitiness and acidity. Shortish tail. Complex: bananas and flowers.
Abruptly ends on a dry almond note.
Holds well with any food.

Overall: Unusually “macho” sake for Shizuoka, typical of Morimoto brewery sakes.
Great with strong food, especially yakitori and nabe.
Drunk on its own, will please lovers of strong and characterful sakes.

Mr. Morimoto in Kikugawa City shows his individuality as far as his Brewery is concerned. He actually calls it “Koubou”, that is “Factory”
Despite this appellation, he ptoduces some extraordinary nectars!

Overall: A soft, well-rounded sake in spite of high alcohol.
Becoming more complex with the next glass. Need for second and third glass to really appreciate.
Characteristic sake from a maverick brewer!

In this maverick sake brewing prefecture you are bound to repeat the same comment for about almost all its brewers, but Hidetoshi Morimoto in Kikuagawa City is considered THE maverick by his own peers!
Whereas blending is fairly common as far as cheap mass-produced sake, premium sake blending is almost unheard of. Well, Mr. Morimoto, both to satisfy a special request from his fans and his own thirst for improvisation blended some of his premium sake brews for a mere total of 120, making it already a rarity of the past. I got hold of one through pure luck and I can hear Melinda and Etsuko moaning! LOL.Jen might come up with the comment that they blend the best Champagne, so why not sake. I would be tempted to agree to the point I have often called sake brewed in Shizuoka the Sake of Japan (I’m asking for trouble!)

Morimoto Brewery: IKIOI
Rice of all blended sake milled down to 55%. Qualifies for Ginjo, although knowing Hidetoshi Morimoto, he would say, “bah, just a honjozo by miles!”
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Blended in Autumn 2008

I just cannot help coming back to my “roots”, as Morimoto Brewery was the first I ever commented on! A long love story indeed, which can finish only my own demise!

Morimoto Brewery: “Yatte Mita” Nessei
This was the first time that Hitoshi Morimoto created a sake with only Homare Fuji rice grown in Shizuoka Prefecture, hence the title “Yatte Mita” (I tried it!)
Very little information as usual, and I did have to fork out a little of myself!

Overall: A sake appealing to all.
Elegant and very easy to drink.
Quite a performance considering it was made primarily with Shizuoka-grown rice.
Extremely complex, constantly asking questions. Highly unpredictable.
Coming up with a different facet with every sip.

Morimoto Brewery and its owner/master brewer Mr. Hitoshi Morimoto in Kikugawa City have always been a great favourite of mine for the maverick approach to sake brewing.
The other day, Nagashima Saketen called me again to mention an interesting arrival. I did not hesitate!
I found myself holding a bottle with no label, just a small “tag” and the usual information on a white sticker!Melinda would love it, considering this a very similar sake to the one I sent her for the first time last year!

It’s been a long time since I have personally tasted a bottle (they tend to be forwarded to special friends!) from Morimoto Brewery!
He is, and probably will be for a long time to be, my favourite Brew Master! His sake are a true reflection of his maverick character: highly personal and full of hidden treasures!
Incidentally this was the second bottle tasted at by the Hamamatsu Geeks on March 21st.